Bottom dumping bucket

ABSTRACT

A bottom dumping bucket for a bucket loader. The bucket, considered in its upright position, is downwardly convergent both longitudinally and laterally to provide it with a hopper-like configuration. The front wall and the end walls of the hopperlike receptacle constitute a moveable front section which is pivotable relative to the rear wall about a lateral axis adjacent the top of the rear wall to close and open the bottom of the receptacle. Overlapping end plates on the rear wall and the moveable front section maintain the ends of the receptacle substantially closed even when the discharge opening at the bottom thereof is open. With the foregoing construction, a bucket having a large capacity and a comparatively small discharge opening is provided, thereby permitting metered dumping of material from the bucket.

O Umted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,773,196

Shepherd Nov. 20, 1973 BOTTOM DUMPING BUCKET BUTUW'J -G rald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Jerold M. Forsberg ll h d [75 Inventor g i w Shep er whmler Att0rney-Har11s, Kern, Wallen & Tlnsley [73] Assignee: Shepherd Machinery Co., City of [57] ABSTRACT lhdhSlrX, Cahf- A bottom dumping bucket for a bucket loader. The [22] Filed. Apt 24, 1970 bucket, considered in its upright position, is downwardly convergent both longitudinally and laterally to PP 31,669 provide it with a hopper-like configuration. The front wall and the end walls of the hopper-like receptacle 52 us. (:1 214/146 R constitute a moveable from which is P 51 1111.01 E02f 3/81 relative to the rear wall a lateral axis adjacent 58 Field 6: Search 214/146 R 145 146 E, the top of the rear wall to close and Open the 514/767 of the receptacle. Overlapping end plates on the rear wall and the moveable front section maintain the ends [56] References Cited of the receptacle substantially closed even when the UNTED STATES PATENTS discharge opening at the bottom thereof is open. 3 34 041 9/1967 salna 214/145 With the foregoing construction, a bucket having a 2'829'787 4/l958 214/132 large capacity and a comparatively small discharge 3:208:6l0 9 1965 Logus 214/146 x Opening is Provided, thereby Permitting metered 3,121,964 2 1964 Cobb 214 145 x dumping f m ri l fr m h bucket- 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEnnnvzo 2973. 3. 7 7

SETS? 2 C? 3 5 Y H/S A TTOEA/EYS /'/A/22/5, M501, RUSSELL & KER/V BOTTOM DUMPING BUCKET BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates in general to a bucket loader and, more particularly, to a bottom dumping bucket therefor.

Generally speaking, a bucket loader comprises a suitable vehicle having a forwardly extending boom which is pivotable upwardly and downwardly about a lateral axis and which is provided at its forward end with a bucket pivotable about a parallel axis. In the case of a bottom dumping bucket, the bucket comprises a receptacle having longitudinally spaced front and rear walls and laterally spaced end walls, the front wall and the end walls being rigidly interconnected and constituting a moveable front section of the receptacle. The end walls are connected adjacent their tops to the rear wall adjacent its top for pivotal movement relative to the rear wall about an axis parallel to the lateral axes mentioned previously. With this construction, the moveable front section can pivot rearwardly and forwardly toward and away from the rear wall to close and open the bottom of the receptacle, the bucket including actuating means interconnecting the rear wall and the moveable front section for opening and closing the discharge opening at the bottom of the receptacle.

An important advantage of a bucket of the foregoing type is that it can be emptied very quickly simply by opening the bottom thereof, it being unnecessary to tilt the bucket forwardly to empty it, as in the case of a tilt dumping bucket.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION The primary object of the invention is to provide a bottom dumping bucket which has a large capacity so that it can fill a large dump truck or trailer with a single scoop, but which is capable of a less-than-capacity metered discharge so that it can also be used to fill a smaller dump truck or trailer when necessary.

An important object of the invention is to provide a large capacity bucket having a relatively small discharge opening at its bottom which can be closed to stop the discharge of material therefrom in an accurate manner whenever a less-than-capaicty discharge is required.

More particularly, an important object of the invention is to provide a bucket which, considered in its upright position, comprises a hopper-like receptacle the front and rear walls of which converge downwardly toward each other and the end walls of which also converge downwardly toward each other, thereby providing a relatively small discharge opening which can be used to meter material from the hopperlike receptacle accurately.

Another object of the invention is to provide forwardly extending end plates on the rear wall at the respective ends thereof and rearwardly extending end plates on the end walls and respectively overlapping and slidably engaging the forwardly extending end plates, this construction maintaining the ends of the receptacle substantially closed even when the bottom thereof is fully open.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bottom dumping bucket of such sturdy construction that its bottom opening can be closed to interrupt discharge even when the bucket is filled with rock, the bottom edges of the front and rear walls of the receptacle being capable of shearing any rock therebetween. In this connection, an important object is to longitudinally brace the front and rear walls of the receptacle intermediate the ends thereof by means of at least one longitudinal brace having a forward end rigidly connected to the front wall and having a rearward end connected to the rear wall for pivotal movement relative thereto about the pivot axis of the moveable bucket section.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the bucket loader art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION or DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a side elevational view on a reduced scale of a bucket loader equipped with a bottom dumping bucket of the invention, the bucket being shown lowered and tilted into its scooping position in broken lines, and being shown partially elevated and tilted into its upright position in solid lines;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, end or side elevational view of the bottom dumping bucket, with the bottom of the bucket closed, and with the bucket tilted forwardly somewhat from its upright position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the bucket, and is taken as indicated by the arrowed line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the bottom of the bucket open, again with the bucket tilted forwardly somewhat from its upright position; and

FIG. 6 is a transverse or lateral sectional view through the bucket taken as indicated by the arrowed line 6-6 of FIG. 5 of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION Referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawings, illustrated therein is a bucket loader l0 equipped with a bottom dumping bucket 12 which embodies the invention. Except for the bottom dumping bucket 12, the bucket loader I0 is conventional and need not be described in detail.

Briefly, the bucket loader 10 includes a suitable vehicle l4 equipped with twin, laterally spaced, forwardly extending booms 16 to each of which a rear wall 18 of the bucket 12 is pivotally connected adjacent the bottom of such wall by a lateral or transverse pivot 20, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The bucket 12 is pivotable back and forth between tilted and upright positions about the common axis of the pivots at the forward ends of the two booms by hydraulic rams 22 on the respective booms. Each ram 22 is connected at one end to an intermediate point on a lever 24 which is pivotally connected at one end to the corresponding boom 16 adjacent its forward end. The other end of each lever 24 is pivotally connected by a link 26 to the rear wall 18 of the bucket 12 adjacent the top of such wall. The other end of each ram 22 is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 28 which is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the corresponding boom 16 adjacent the pivoted rearward end thereof. The other end of each lever 28 has pivotally connected thereto a link 30 pivotally secured to the vehicle M.

As is well known, with the foregoing construction, the bucket 12 may be raised and lowered by pivoting the booms 16 upwardly and downwardly in any suitable manner, not shown, and may be pivoted forwardly and downwardly, or upwardly and rearwardly, by extending, or contracting, the rams 22. Thus, the bucket 12 may be placed in the lowered, forwardly tilted, scooping or digging position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1 of the drawings, or it may be raised into an elevated position andfor pivoted upwardly and rearwardly into an upright position, the bucket being shown partially elevated and upright in FlG. l of the drawings. This structure and mode of operation being well known, no further description herein is required.

Considering the bottom dumping bucket R2 of the invention now in more detail, it includes, in addition to the hereinbefore-mentioned rear wall 18, a front wall 36 spaced longitudinally of the booms 16 from the rearwall, and laterally or transversely spaced side or end walls 38 rigidly connected to the ends of the front wall 36. The front wall 36, as is conventional, is provided with an upper or forward cutting or digging edge 40.

The rigidly interconnected front wall as and end walls 38 constitute a moveable front section 32 of the bucket 12, which moveable from section is pivotable relative to the rear wall 13 about a lateral or transverse axis to open and close a discharge opening 44 at the bottom of the bucket. More particularly, considering the bucket 12 in its upright position, upper rear portions 46 of the end walls 38 embrace the rear wall 18 adjacent the top thereof and are connected thereto by laterally aligned pivots 43, best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, which permit opening and closing pivotal movement of the moveable front section 42. As shown in H6. 3, the portions 46 of the end walls 38 are of a heavy cellular or truss-like construction for added strength.

The moveable front section 42 is pivoted relative to the rear wall 18 to open and close the bottom discharge opening 44 by means of two hydraulic rams Sill, best shown in F165. 2, d and 5, each of which is pivotally connected at its lower end to the rear wall 18, at 52, and each of which is pivotally connected at its upper end, at 54, to an arm 56 on the corresponding portion 46 of the corresponding end wall 38. As will be apparent, extension of the rams 5th closes the bottom of the bucket 12 and contraction thereof opens it.

To make the structure of the bottom dumping bucket 32 as sturdy as possible, it is provided for additional strength with a longitudinal brace 60, FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, having a forward end rigidly connected to the front wall 36 intermediate its ends and having a rearward end connected to the rear wall 18 by a pivot 62 for pivotal movement relative to the rear wall about the lateral axis defined by the pivots 48, it being understood that the pivots 4% and 62 are all aligned.

An important feature of the invention is that the bottom dumping bucket 12, considered in its upright position, is a hopper-like receptacle wherein the front and rear walls 36 and i8 converge downwardly toward each other, whether the bucket be open or closed, and the end walls 38, or more accurately, the lower portions of the end walls, also converge downwardly toward each other. Such downward convergence of the front and rear walls 36 and 18 when the bottom of the bucket H2 is open is maintained by providing the rams 50 with relatively short strokes to limit the maximum dimension of the discharge opening 44, longitudinally of the booms 16, to a relatively small value, as will be clear from H6. 5 of the drawings.

To permit loss of material from the ends of the discharge opening 44 when the moveable from section 42 has been pivoted forwardly to the maximum extent, overlapping, relatively slidable end plates 64 and 66 are provided on the ends of the rear wall 18 and on the end walls 38, respectively. As will be clear from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 5, and from FIG. 6, the end plates 66 carried by the end walls 38 overlap and slide relative to the end plates 64 on the rear walls 18 to prevent endwise spillage of material from the ends of the bottom discharge opening 44, when the moveable front section 42 has been moved to its open position, despite the downward and endward convergence of the end walls 38 toward each other.

With the foregoing construction, the hopper-like receptacle formed by the bottom dumping bucket 12 has a capacity which is large in proportion to the size of the discharge opening 44. Merely as an example, the bucket 12 may have a maximum capacity of the order of 12.5 cubic yards, or more, sufficient to fill a large dump truck or trailer with a single scoop", which is an important feature. However, because of the downwardly converging, hopper-like configuration of the bucket 12, with its relatively small discharge opening 44, the discharge from the bucket 12 may be metered so as to permit filling a smaller dump truck or trailer, eg, one having a 10 yard capacity, even with the bucket 12 filled to its larger capacity, which is an important feature.

in other words, the downwardly convergent configuration of the hopper-like bucket 12, coupled with a restricted discharge opening 44, enables the operator to cut off the discharge from the bucket accurately whenever desired, while preserving the extremely large capacity of the bucket. The strudy construction of the bucket l2, augmented by such features as the truss-like portions 46 and the brace 60, permits a sharp cut off of the discharge of material from the bucket, even when the material being handled is rock. The lower edges of the front and rear walls 36 and K8 are capable, with the sturdy construction mentioned, of actually shearing rock encountered when closing the discharge opening 44. Thus, even with a material of this nature, accurate metering is possible, which is an important feature.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated insuch embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims appearing in the next section of this specification.

l claim:

1. A bottom dumping, metering bucket for a bucket loader, comprising, when considered in its upright positron:

a. a hopper-like receptacle having longitudinally spaced front and rear walls which converge downwardly toward each other and having laterally spaced end walls also converging downwardly toward each other;

b. said front wall and said end walls being rigidly interconnected and constituting a movable front section of said receptacle;

0. said end walls being connected adjacent their tops to said rear wall adjacent its top for pivotal movement relative to said rear wall about a lateral axis;

d. whereby said movable front section can pivot rear wardly and forwardly toward and away from said rear wall about said lateral axis to close and open the bottom of said receptacle;

e. actuating means interconnecting said rear wall and said movable front section for opening and closing the bottom of said receptacle;

f. the downward convergence of all four of said walls of said receptacle providing at the bottom thereof, when said front section is pivoted forwardly away from said rear wall, a discharge opening which is small compared to the capacity of said receptacle;

g. whereby accurately metered dumping from said receptacle is possible; and

h. a longitudinal brace having a forward end rigidly connected to said front wall intermediate its ends and having a rearward end connected to said rear wall for pivotal movement relative thereto about said lateral axis.

2. A bottom dumping bucket according to claim 1 including forwardly extending end plates on said rear wall at the respective ends thereof and rearwardly ex tending end plates on said end walls and respectively overlapping and slidably engaging said forwardly extending end plates to maintain the ends of said receptacle substantially closed even when the bottom thereof is open. 

1. A bottom dumping, metering bucket for a bucket loader, comprising, when considered in its upright position: a. a hopper-like receptacle having longitudinally spaced front and rear walls which converge downwardly toward each other and having laterally spaced end walls also converging downwardly toward each other; b. said front wall and said end walls being rigidly interconnected and constituting a movable front section of said receptacle; c. said end walls being connected adjacent their tops to said rear wall adjacent its top for pivotal movement relative to said rear wall about a lateral axis; d. whereby said movable front section can pivot rearwardly and forwardly toward and away from said rear wall about said lateral axis to close and open the bottom of said receptacle; e. actuating means interconnecting said rear wall and said movable front section for opening and closing the bottom of said receptacle; f. the downward convergence of all four of said walls of said receptacle providing at the bottom thereof, when said front section is pivoted forwardly away from said rear wall, a discharge opening which is small compared to the capacity of said receptacle; g. whereby accurately metered dumping from said receptacle is possible; and h. a longitudinal brace having a forward end rigidly connected to said front wall intermediate its ends and having a rearward end connected to said rear wall for pivotal movement relative thereto about said lateral axis.
 2. A bottom dumping bucket according to claim 1 including forwardly extending end plates on said rear wall at the respective ends thereof and rearwardly extending end plates on said end walls aNd respectively overlapping and slidably engaging said forwardly extending end plates to maintain the ends of said receptacle substantially closed even when the bottom thereof is open. 